Museo Nacional

San Pedro, Costa Rica

    
Text©Beatrice Blake-New Key to Costa Rica

The Museo Nacional is housed in the former Bellavista Fortress.

There are bullet holes in the turrets from the 1948 civil war. Inside are a lovely courtyard and large exhibits of indigenous gold, petroglyphs, ceramics, and incredibly intricate stonework. Well-done bilingual exhibits trace the history of Costa Rica, from prehistoric to modern times.

Fittingly, the museum’s last exhibit is “The Secret Garden,” a screened butterfly garden with benches from which to enjoy a wide variety of the country’s most beautiful species, including the large, iridescent blue morpho. On a sunny day, it’s a real treat. Definitely worth a visit.

The museum overlooks the Plaza de la Democracia, built by the Arias administration to receive visiting presidents during the historic Hemispheric Summit in 1989. Here you will see a statue of former president Don Pepe Figueres, hero of the 1948 civil war, and the abolisher of the Army. His human stance and expression show that the citizens of this very small country know their leaders well.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission $4, students with ID $2, children under 12 free

Rates

$4.


Website & Contact

phone: (506)2257-1433

New Key to Costa Rica Travel Consulting

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Nearby Activities & Attractions

Nearby Hotels & Lodges

La Posada del Museo
Hotel Fleur de Lys
Casa Ridgeway
Pensión de la Cuesta
Costa Rica Guesthouse
Costa Rica Backpackers
Ara Macao Inn
Don Carlos Hotel
Hotel Santo Tomás
Hostel Toruma
Hostel Pangea
Kap's Place
Green House Hostel


The nearest town is San Pedro, 2.1 km away and Terminal Tobias Bolaños Airport airport is 8 km.

Please note that distances for nearby hotels, attractions, activites & other points of interest are in a straight line. Distances by road may be significantly longer!

The exact gps map coordinates of Museo Nacional are latitude 9.93279, longitude -84.07181. (exact GPS coordinates are accurate to within a few meters, gps data labeled approximate is within a few hundred meters)